Liquid-storage tank



1,636,539 J 1927' J. H. WIGGINS LIQUID STORAGE TANK Filed Oct. 12. 1925' structe Patented July 19, 1927;

UNITED STATES JOHN B. W'IGGINS, 0] BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA.

LIQUID-STORAGE TANK.

Application fled October 12, 1825. Serial Io. 62,019.

This invention relates to liquid storage tanks of the type in which the closure for the tank consists of a floating deck or roof thai rests upon the body of liquid inithe tan In the operation of filling a tank of the general type above referred to it fre uently appens t at gases become entraine with the li uid' being pumped into the tank, and upon eing liberated in the tank, rise upwardly through the liquid and escape either around'the peripheral edge of the floating deck or through vents in said deck, thus causing liquid to be splashed over the top surface of the deck.

The main object of my present invention is to provide a means of simple construction for preventing liquid from being splashed onto the top surface of the deck by escaping gases. To this end I have devised a floatinlg1 eck or roof for, liquid storage tanks whic is equipped with one or more devices constructedlso that gases can escape through same from the underside of the deck, but any liquid entrained with said gases or combined with said gases in such a way 'as to roduce a mechanical mixture of gas and iquid will be separated from the ases and recovered before said ases reach t e atmoshere. The combine vent and se arating evice djust referred to is preiera ly conto be returned to the tank, and the floating deck is preferably constructed in such a manner that any mechanical mixture of gases and liquid produced in the tank will be bound to flow to the vent device or devices, instead of escaping around the edge of the deck.

' Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a liquid storage tank-equipped with a floating deck constructed in accordance,

' with my present invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the line 22 of Fi eferring to the drawin s which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the side wall of a liquid storage tank, and B designates a floating deck or roof that rests upon the liquid :1: in said tank. The deck B is of slightly less diameter than the side wall A of the tank so that said deck can rise and fall as the level of the liquid in the tank varies, and the annular s ace be 4 tween the peripheral edge of said eck and so as to cause the separated liquid trated the-floating deck B isfprovided at its peripheral edge with a vertically-disposed,

annular rim ,0 whose lower edgeortion terminates at a'point considerably be ow the prevents gases on the underside of the deck from bubbling up around the peripheral edge of thevdeck. If desired, the deck B can be bowed downwardly slightly from its peripheral edge towards its center, as shown in Figure 2, so as to form an annular gas pocket on the underside oi the deck in proximity to the depending lower edge portion of the rim C, that is used to collect gases on the underside of the deck. The tank is provided with a filling pipe D that discharges into the tank adjacent the center of the bottom thereof, as shown in Figure 2. In the deck B, so as to virtually act as a baflie that operation of filling the tank with oil gases as shown in Figure 2, finally comin in contact with the underside of the deck and being deflected by same towards. the baflie formed by the depending lowerv gt ihe rim G at the peripheral edge of the In order to separate the liquid phase from the gas phase and permitthe gases to escape from the tank, without liabilit of causing the globules of oil to be splashed over the to side of the deck B, I (provide'the deck with one or more combine gas vent and liquid separating devices, each of which is indicated as an entirety by the reference character E. Said devices E can be constructed in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, but in .the form of my invention herein illustrated each of said devices comprises va gas vent 1 mounted on the deck B at such a point that gases on the underside of the deck mixed with globules of oil can escape upwardly through said vent, as indicated in Figure 2, and a liquid and gas; separating. chamber 2 into which said gas vent 1 discharges. The upper end edge portion 1 is of substantially inverted U shape in general outline and is arranged with the discharge end of same positioned inside of the separating chamber 2. Consequentl if globules of liquid are entrained wit the gases that escape from the underside of the deck through; the gasevent 1, said liquid will separate from said gases upon entering the chamber 2, due to the greater specific gravity of said liquid, and to the fact that the mixture of gases and liquid is subjected to a bafiling action in traveling through the gas vent 1, and is then discharged downwardly into the separatin chamber 2 from the down turned termina end portion of .the gas vent 1. V The gases, upon being separated from the liquid, immediately escape -to the atmosphere through-the open upper end of the separating chamber 2, as indicated in Figure 2, and the separated liquid is preferably returned to the li uid in the tank through a tube 3 that pro]ects down- I through the vent 1, the,tu

wardly from the separating chamber. 2

through the deck B, as shown in Figure 2. In order to eliminate the possibility of gases on' the underside of the deck B passing upwardly through the tube 3 into the separating chamber 2, instead of assing upwardly at a point considerably below the intake end of the vent 1. i

While I prefer to arrange a plurality of combination vent and separating devices E adjacent the peripheral edge of the deck B and construct said deck so that any gases liberated in the body of liquid in the tank will tend to collect on the underside of the peripheral portion of said deck, this particular location of the devices E and particular construction of the deck B are not essential,

as my invention, broadly stated, consists in equipping a floating deck or roof for a ters Patent is:

- vent .pipe lea rating device he llqllld storage tank with a gas vent throu h which gases escape from the underside of t e deck, and a separating chamber combined 1 with said gas vent in such a manner that any llquld entrained. with the r .t P -i will be separated from' same m said c amber and the cleaned thereafter permitted to escape 'from' said chamber.

Having thus described myinventi'on, what Iclaimasnewanddeeiretosecumbyliet- I 3 is so proportioned that the lower end-of same terminatese separated liquid is rethe in the tank, a gas vent on said deck through which gases mixed with globules of liquid can escape from the underside of the deck,

and a device for separating said globules or liquid from the gases and for returningsaid globules to the tank.

3. A. liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck or roof that is supported by the liquidin the tank, a means which tends to cause gases that are liberated in the liquid in the tank to collect on the underside of the deck in a certain zone, and combination gas vent and liquid separating devices mounted on the deck in proximity to said zone for effecting the separation of any liquids entrained .With the gases and for permitting the ases to escape from the tank without liabi it of splashing liquid onto the top surface 0 the deck. q

4. Afioating deck orroof for liquid storage tanks provided with agas vent through.

which gases mixed with liquid can escape from the underside of the deck, said vent having a downwardly-projecting terminal portion, and a separating chamber into which gases are discharged from said vent, said separating chamber beingprovided with a gas outlet and also with a liquid outlet.

5. A floating-deck or root for liquid storage tanks provided with a liquid separating device consisting of a chamber arranged on the top side of the deck and provided with a gas outlet that leads to the atmosphere and a liquid outlet that .leads to the underside of t e deck, and a gas'vent on said deck communicating with the underside of the .deck and constructed so that gases which escape through same will be discharged into said chamber in a direction that tends to cause any li uids entrained with said gases to separate in same.

6. Afloating deck or roof for liquid storage tanks provided with a gas vent through which gases mixed with liquid can escape from the underside of the deck, a se arating chamber on the upper side .of the eck provided with a ing from sai chamber to t as outlet, a liqpid ogtleteadi e un ers1 e o the deck and terminating at a oint considermeans for causing the gases to be discharged from said vent into said chamber in a direction tending to cause the liquids entrained I with said gases to separate from same in said chamber.

'7. A- floating deck or roof for liquid as.

age tanks provided with a stantially inverted U sha ranged so that gases mix escape through same from the co in outline-arwith liquid the underside of k, and-a separating chamber in which down turned discharge end portion of said vent is gas vent of subs. floating deck or roof for liquid storage provided with a gas vent of Bill)- ably below the inlet end of sai gasvent, and i stantially inverted U shape inoutline arranged so that gases mixed with liquid, can escape through same from the underside of the deck, a separating chamber in which the down turned discharge end portion of said gas vent is arranged, the upper end of said chamber being open to the atmosphere," and 8. liquid outlet leading from the lower end of said chamber to a point below the underside of the deck.

9. A floating deck or roof for liquid stora e tanks provided adjacent its peripheral ed ge with a downwardly projecting, sub-' edge portion terminates at a point considerabl below the underside of the deck, the

dec being bowed downwardly towards its center, and combination gas vent and li uid separating devices on the top side of the eck arranged adjacent said rim, for the purpose described. 4

11. A floating deck or roof for liquid storage tanks provided with means for preventing gases from bubbling up around the peripheral edge of the deck, gas vents on the deck arranged in proximity to a zone where gases combined with globules of liquid tend to collect on the underside of the deck, and devices combined with said gas vents for causing said globules of liquid to be separated from the escaping gases and thereafter he returned to the liquid in the tank. 12. In a liquid storage tank provided with a floating deck, means for preventing the liquid in the tank from being carried out of the tank with escaping gases, comprising a gas and liquid separating device, and means for causing escapmg gases that contain entrained liquids to enter said device, said device being combined with the deck in such a way that the liquid separated from the gases will be returned to the tank.

f JOHN H. WIGGINS. 

